True Friendship Leading to Love
by JasonMorganfan87
Summary: After Jacob abandons her, Bella is left alone and miserable once more. However, with the help of the Clearwater kids, she may finally begin to heal from the loss of both Jacob and Edward and may even find love again. But what will happen when Seth and Leah phase. Will she be left alone again?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of its characters.**

**Bella's POV**

**True Friendship Leading to Love**

**A/N: In this story, Seth is seventeen instead of fifteen and he isn't as quiet or innocent as in canon.**

I was sitting on the beach after my confrontation with Jacob where he told me he couldn't be my friend anymore, that I didn't belong in his world. It was almost exactly the same thing _he_ told me when he left. Actually, the scenarios themselves were almost exactly the same. Both left me feeling alone and worthless and I was once again sitting in the middle of the rain with no motivation to move. The only real difference was that Jacob hadn't left me in the middle of the woods.

I didn't know how long I was sitting on the beach letting the rain fall on me and listening to the waves crashing, but I felt like it had to be while, as I was completely drenched.

Soon I heard a pair of footsteps. I looked up in hopes of seeing Jacob. I hoped maybe that he'd changed his mind and came back to tell me he was sorry and that we could be friends again. But it wasn't Jacob. It was Seth Clearwater. I remembered him from the night I'd had dinner with his family, the Blacks, and Charlie. He was the youngest of the Clearwaters, but not by much. He was seventeen.

Seth made his way over to me. "Bella Swan? Bella, what are you doing out here?"

I didn't answer him. I couldn't really form words at the moment. I was in too much pain right now. I had both Jacob's and _his_ rejection to deal with and it was really hard. I just wanted to curl up in a ball like last time. It was taking everything in me not to do it.

Seth took of his jacket and bent down to wrap it around me. "Bella, are you okay? Why are you out here in the rain?"

I held his coat around me tightly and shivered. "H…he left me. He doesn't want anything to do with me. J…just like _h…him_."

Seth stood up and pulled me up with him. I didn't stop him. "Come on, let me drive you home."

"I have my truck," I said emotionlessly as I let him pull me up the beach. Well, actually, I didn't have my truck. That was in Billy's driveway.

"Even so, I think you should come with me. I don't think you're in any shape to drive right now," Seth said. He led me onto the pavement where his car was just a few feet away. He helped me into the passenger seat and then got into the driver's side.

I looked at the car. It was really clean and looked very nice. The seats were made of leather. It was clear that Seth took good care of his car. "I'm going to ruin your seats with how wet I am."

"I'm not worried about that right now. I'm more worried about you. Why were you on the beach in the rain?" Seth asked as he pulled out onto the

"Why were you?" I countered.

Seth sighed. "Billy Black was at our house earlier talking to my dad. I overheard him say that you'd gone to the beach to talk to Jacob and that it wouldn't go well. He said that Jacob was gonna tell you to stay away."

I couldn't help but flinch at Seth's words. The pain of Jake's rejection was really raw right now.

"I guess Billy was telling the truth. Asshole," Seth swore. I figured he was talking about Jacob, not Billy.

"That's what he said. He said we couldn't be friends anymore. He was really mean about. I just don't get why. I don't know what I did wrong. I haven't even seen him since that day he got sick," I said as I tried to understand Jacob's rejection, though I believed it had something to do with Sam.

"He was sick?" Seth asked.

"Yeah. He was really hot and he said he felt strange. Today was the first time I saw him since then and he was with Sam and his gang," I explained.

Seth hissed angrily at the mention of Sam's name. Apparently he wasn't a fan either.

"Did you lose a friend because of Sam too?" I asked.

"Not exactly. Sam Uley is a huge asshole though. He broke my sister's heart," Seth practically growled.

"Sam dated Leah?" I asked. I remembered Leah too from dinner, though I didn't really pay much attention to her. She didn't really bother with anyone the whole night.

"Yeah, for years. She loved him. She talked about them getting married one day. Then the jerk shacks up with our cousin!" Seth said angrily.

I looked at Seth shocked. That was just horrible. No wonder Seth hated Sam. "That's awful."

"Yeah. I think Leah would've been able to handle it if Sam just left her. Sure, it would still hurt, but she'd get over it. It's the fact that it's to be with Emily that's really tearing her up," Seth said.

"The betrayal is greater because it's not just Sam that crossed a line," I said.

"Right. Guys can be jerks. I know that because I am a guy. But Emily is our cousin. She and Leah were so close. I can't understand how she could hurt Leah like that. It gets even worse though. My parents on Sam's side," Seth said.

"What?" I asked in disbelief. I didn't understand how the Clearwaters could possibly side with Sam Uley against their own daughter. What was it about this guy that had everyone so supportive of him?

"Yeah. I asked my dad how he could possibly take Sam's side and all he'd was that it was complicated. Needless to say, things are kind of intense at home right now. It's basically Leah and me against our parents right now," he said.

I shook my head in disbelief. "I don't get it. Why do people fall all over themselves for this creep? Jacob swore he would never join Sam. He said he wanted nothing to do with his little cult. T…then next thing I know, h…he's following him around and wants nothing to do with me."

Seth sighed. "If Jacob dropped you for Uley and his gang, then he's an idiot. He doesn't deserve your friendship."

"He was the only friend I had. He helped me after_ he_ left. Now he's gone too," I cried.

Seth pulled the car into my driveway and stopped the car. "Bella, Jacob is a moron. He's not a real friend. Don't give him the satisfaction of thinking he broke you. Forget about Black and move on."

"It's not that easy, Seth," I said.

Seth chuckled. "Yeah, that's what Leah said to me when I said the same to her. You're right, it's not easy, but you can do it. You cannot let him have the kind of power over you that he will have if you drown yourself in misery over him. So here's what you're gonna do, and again, I told Leah the same. You're gonna get up every morning and you're going to live your life. You're gonna pretend that Black's rejection means nothing to you. You'll do that every day until it really does mean nothing."

"Pretend everything's okay?" I asked in disbelief. I didn't even know how to do that.

"That's right. The best way to get back at him is to make it so he doesn't matter," Seth said.

I sighed. "I better get inside. I should probably take a shower and change clothes."

"Of course. Where's your truck. I'll have Leah drive my car here tomorrow and I'll bring it to you," Seth said.

"It's at Billy's, but you don't have to do that," I told him. He'd already done more than enough for me.

"It's no problem. I wanna do anything I can to help you. This way you won't have to see Black at all," Seth said.

"Thanks," I said before removing his coat and pulling my keys out of my own jacket and handing them to him.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Bella."

I nodded and got out of the car.


	2. Chapter 2

**Bella's POV**

I woke up the next morning at around eight. I thought about just lying there all day. I didn't wanna move. I just wanted to lay there in my own misery. But I remembered my conversation with Seth and that was what he told me I shouldn't do. He said that I shouldn't let Jake win like that. Maybe he was right. I didn't want to hurt Jake or anything, but I didn't wanna be hurt by him either. Seth said if I started to move on with my life, it would eventually stop hurting. I wasn't sure that was true, but I should at least try. I didn't wanna hurt Charlie again by falling apart again either.

I forced myself out of bed, grabbed a change of clothes and went to the bathroom. I quickly showed and got dressed before going downstairs. Charlie was already at the table with his coffee and newspaper. "Morning, Dad."

Charlie turned to me. "Hey, Bells. Where's your truck. I got home late last night and was worried when I didn't see it. I thought something might have happened to you until I looked in your room and found you asleep."

"I left it at Jake's," I said, flinching slightly as I remembered the horrible conversation I had with Jacob on the beach.

"Oh, so he's better now. That must make you happy," Charlie said.

"Yeah, he's just fine," I said with hurt and bitterness in my voice.

"Well, that's good. I know you've missed having him around," Charlie said.

"Yeah, well, I'm going to have to get over that. Jake wants nothing to do with me," I told him sadly.

Charlie looked at me in disbelief. "What?"

"He doesn't wanna be my friend anymore."

"Bella, I'm sure that's not true. Where you did you get that idea from anyway?" Charlie asked.

"From him. He told me himself that he didn't wanna be my friend anymore. He said I didn't belong in his life. Then he left me on the beach," I said before going over and sitting down. I looked down at my hands, afraid I'd start crying if I looked at Charlie.

"Bella, are you sure you didn't misunderstand?" he asked. I couldn't blame him for being skeptical. I couldn't believe Jake had done this either. I never would've thought he'd abandon me like this. Then again, I never would've believed _he_ would've either.

"I'm positive. Look, I don't really wanna talk about it anymore," I said. Talking about it really hurt. It was making it hard to try to follow Seth's advice.

Things were silent between the two of us for a while. Then about five minutes later, Charlie spoke again. "If you left your truck at the Black's, how'd you get home yesterday?"

I finally looked up at him. "Seth Clearwater found me at the beach. He brought me home."

"Seth's a good kid, although the last time I visited the Clearwaters, he and Harry were getting into it," Charlie said.

I could only assume that Seth's fight with his dad had to do with the situation between his sister and Sam Uley. He had said that things were tense in their house. "Yeah, he was nice. He didn't even mind when I got his car soaked."

Charlie frowned. "How long were you at the beach?"

I shrugged. "I didn't' really keep track."

"Jake just left you there in the rain?" Charlie asked with an icy edge to his voice. He was getting mad at Jacob, probably because he was appreciating the similarities between this and what happened a few months ago.

"It's okay, Dad. I'm fine," I assured him.

"And if Seth hadn't shown up? How long would you have stayed there? Would I have had to send out another search party like when…?"

"Dad, please don't," I begged. I did not wanna be reminded of that. I was already on the verge of falling a part due to both incidents. Going over it all again would push me over the edge.

Charlie sighed. "I'm sorry. I just can't believe he would leave you alone like that knowing what happened last time. I'm going to be speaking with Billy about this."

I was about to ask him not to do that when I heard a knock at the door. I immediately got up and went to answer it. I opened the door and found Seth there. "Hey, Seth."

"Hi. I brought your truck back," Seth said as he held my keys out to me.

I gave him a half smile and took them. "Thanks. Do you wanna come in?"

"Sure. Leah's not here with my car yet," Seth said before stepping inside.

I closed the door behind him and led him towards the kitchen where Charlie was.

Charlie turned the second he heard us. He stood up when he saw Seth with me. "Hey, Seth."

"Hi, Charlie," Seth said.

Charlie held out his hand for Seth. "Thank you for helping Bella yesterday. I really appreciate you getting her home safe."

Seth shook his hand. "It was no problem. I wasn't about to leave her there in the rain. I was taught better than that."

"Yeah. I thought Jake had been too," Charlie said with anger in his voice.

"Dad, please stop," I pleaded.

There was another knock at the door. "That's probably, Leah," Seth said.

"Seth came to bring me my truck and his sister came so he could get home," I explained to Charlie before turning to Seth. "I'll walk you out."

Seth nodded. "See you later," Charlie."

"Bye, Seth. Thanks again," Charlie said.

Seth and I walked back through the house to the front door. I opened it to see Leah Clearwater there. "Hi, Leah. Thanks for helping Seth help me."

Leah shrugged. "Seth's my baby brother. Although, I would've helped anyway. Your boyfriend left you alone in the rain because he's an asshole. My ex is the king of assholes, so I'll do what I can to help."

"Well, Jake wasn't my boyfriend. He was just my friend," I said.

"Maybe, but he was still an asshole. Besides, I hear you did have a douche bag boyfriend leave you too. You just don't seem to have great luck, do you?" Leah asked.

I flinched slightly at the mention of _him_. "He didn't love me. That's not his fault. I guess it's not really Jake's fault that he didn't love me either. I wasn't good enough for them."

Leah rolled her eyes. "You sound stupid as hell right now."

"Leah!" Seth admonished.

Leah seemed to completely ignore Seth. "I know stupid. When Sam first left, I wondered what I did. I thought I must have done something to make him stop loving me and turn to my cousin. I holed up in my room for weeks over it."

"You did?" I asked surprised. I thought I was the only one who'd reacted that way. I thought losing _him_ was a thousand times worse than any other breakup. I thought that no one else could possibly understand what it was like. But Leah seemed to take her breakup pretty damn hard too.

"Yeah. Seth had to pull me out of it. He came into my room and told me I had to snap out of it, that I wasn't acting like myself. He said I was letting Sam and Emily win by falling apart like I was. He said I needed to get on with my life and prove that I didn't need Sam to be happy," Leah said.

"Yeah, he said something similar to me," I said.

"Only I didn't call her stupid, and I didn't call you stupid either," Seth said with a glare.

"Well, you should've because I was and right now, so is she," Leah told Seth before turning to me. "Your boyfriend was an asshole and so is Black. They told you they loved you and that they would always be around and then they left you like trash!"

I could hear both anger and pain in Leah's voice. She was far from over what Sam had done to her, though she wasn't letting it destroy her life. I didn't know how she managed to survive.

"You didn't do anything to deserve being treated the way they have. You've gotta get that. Stop letting them win by telling yourself that you did deserve it. You gotta realize that they were assholes and that they left you because of their own pathetic issues. Get angry at them because they're the ones who deserve it. Just stop wallowing in your pain because it lets them win," Leah said.

"I don't know how," I said. I wanted to do what she said. I wanted to stop hurting, but I just didn't know how to do that. I wasn't even sure it was possible for me. It seemed to help a little when I had Jake, but I didn't anymore.

"You got your cellphone on you?" Leah asked.

I nodded and pulled it out of my pocket.

Leah took my phone from me and started messing with it for a few moments. Then she gave it back. "My number's programmed into your phone now. Call me. I'll help you stop being stupid."

I chuckled slightly. "Thanks."

"Come on, Seth, let's go," Leah said.

Seth stepped out and looked over to the driveway and frowned. "You brought your car. What the hell, Leah? You know I hate driving with you?"

"Get over it," Leah said before heading for her car.

"See you later, Bella," Seth said before following his sister.

I watched the two pull out and then went back inside.


	3. Chapter 3

**Bella's POV**

I was laying in my room feeling miserable. It had been about a week since Jacob ended our friendship. I'd tried not to lose it like I did with _him_. I tried to do like Seth and Leah said, but it was just so painful. It was more than just the loss of Jacob. I felt like no one in the world could love me, like there was something terribly wrong with me. And yes, I remembered what Leah said to me last week, but I didn't know how to believe that this was anyone's fault but mine. Not only had I been left twice, but both men were so good. It just seemed like it had to be me.

I thought about calling Leah, like she told me to, but I felt like she only gave me her number to be nice. She couldn't possibly really be interested in helping me. Why would she be? She didn't even know me. She was just trying to be nice because she felt sorry for me.

I suddenly heard the door open and close downstairs, followed voices. One I was sure was Charlie's, but I couldn't make out the other one. Then I heard footsteps on the stairs and a few moments later, my bedroom door burst opened to my surprise. Charlie never entered my room without first knocking.

It wasn't Charlie though. It was Leah, and she apparently didn't care about knocking. She looked at me kind of disappointed but not very surprised. "Well, I can't say as I'm surprised to see you like this."

I sat up and looked at her surprised. I never expected Leah to show up at my house like this and then to just come into my room. "Leah, what are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here? Why in the hell are you sitting in this room feeling sorry for yourself over those two asshats? Didn't I tell you not to do that?" Leah asked as she walked further into my room.

I self-consciously looked down at the floor. "I tried. I tried to do what you and Seth said, but it just hurts so much. I couldn't just go on with my life like they didn't leave me. Look, you didn't have to come here, Leah. I'm grateful for you helping Seth help me and for giving me your number, but I know you just did it to be nice. You don't need to worry about my problems though. I'll handle it."

Leah laughed, surprising me. I wasn't sure what I said that was funny. "That's gotta be the first time someone accused me of doing something to be nice. I don't do anything to be nice. You can ask anybody. If I didn't want you to call me, I wouldn't have given you my number. As for you handling things, is this how you do that? By wasting away like some pathetic woman who can't survive without a man?"

Well, I agreed with Leah on one thing. She definitely wasn't trying to be nice. She'd just called me pathetic. And, yes, I guess I was kind of pathetic. I had sunk back into depression and pushed everyone out once more. Yeah, I was pathetic, but I didn't expect anyone to actually say it. Everyone else who tried to talk to me, which was mainly just Charlie at this point, were kind and said that I should try to move on. "You came here to call me pathetic?"

"I came here to get you to stop being so damned stupid and lovesick over a couple of douche bags who don't deserve it," Leah said.

"Why? Why do you care what I do?" I asked.

"Weren't you listening the last time I was here? I know all too well what they did to you, and the urge to waste your life in a bed feeling sorry for yourself. I'm not gonna let you do the same. Get your ass out of this bed and stop letting them win," Leah ordered.

"It's not about winning," I said. The way she said that made it seem like it was some kind of game, but it wasn't. Jacob and _he_ both meant the world to me in different ways. Without them, I was nothing. That was real and it was painful. It was not some stupid game.

"The hell it's not. It is all about winning at this point. It's about getting your ass back up and showing them that while they tore you down, you're not going to stay there. You're going to pull yourself up and show them they aren't important enough for you to slowly kill yourself over," Leah said.

I opened my mouth to protest, but apparently Leah wasn't done.

"They aren't worth this crap. No man is. Do you think they give a damn that you're like this? You think Jacob Black is sitting at home right now feeling guilty about how he hurt you. I promise you he's not. He probably hasn't given you a second thought. And if he has, if he gives a damn at all, he's proud of himself. You're stroking his ego right now. He likes that he has enough power over you that you've fallen apart over him. It's probably the same thing that what's his face is thinking if anything about you," Leah said.

I couldn't help but flinch. That couldn't be true. They weren't so cold that they would think that. "N…no. That's not true. They're good guys. They wouldn't laugh at me like that."

"Good guys don't leave girls alone in the woods and in the rain. They are not good guys. They used you and then when they got tired of you, they walked away like you were nothing. And, yeah, it sucks. It sucks that you fell for a couple of assholes. And it probably feels like it's your fault, especially since it happened more than once. That's crap. It's not anything that's wrong with you. About the only thing wrong with you is that you have bad taste in men. This is their fault. They're quite frankly just assholes," Leah said.

"But they're not. They were good to me. _He_ was amazing. He treated me like I was most important person in the world. He told me he loved me and could never love anyone else as long as he lived," I said with a smile. Then I felt a pang as I remembered how he left me.

"Yeah, all guys say that. Sam said that a lot too," Leah said as a flash of pain reached her eyes. She covered it up so quickly though that I wondered if I imagined it.

"When he left, Jake picked up the pieces. He was always there for me. He dimmed the pain," I said.

Leah narrowed her eyes at me. "Say his name."

"Jacob," I said. I knew that wasn't who she was talking about. I couldn't say _his _name though. I hadn't said his name since he left. I hadn't even thought it. I knew if I did, it would kill me.

Now Leah rolled her eyes. "I wasn't talking about that asshole and you know it. Say the other asshole's name."

"I…I can't," I said.

"Why?" she asked.

"It hurts."

"It hurts now. Keeping yourself from saying his name doesn't change that. All it's gonna do is keep you from moving on. Say his name," Leah ordered again.

"I can't," I repeated once more.

"Yes, you can. Say it," she pushed.

I shook my head.

"Say his name!" Leah almost yelled.

I was trembling and I felt a huge pain in my heart as I even thought about saying it. "E…Edward." Saying it did hurt, but not as much as I thought it would. It didn't break me like I was convinced it would.

"Say it again," Leah commanded.

"Edward." This time there was no waver in my voice. It hurt still, but it was a bit less. "Edward."

Leah nodded and smiled slightly. "Said his name three times and you're still here, aren't you? Don't ever let a guy keep you from saying his name again. That just gives him power over you that he doesn't deserve."

"You're wrong. I'm the one that didn't deserve him. He was always so much better than me," I said sadly.

"He told you that, did he?" Leah asked.

"No. He always told me he loved me and how great I was, but he was just so perfect and extraordinary. It didn't make sense for him to love me," I said.

"That's crap. He led you to believe that, even if he didn't say it. He wanted you to think you were less than him. That's why he isolated you from the rest of your friends. He needed to become the center of your world, but he made sure you knew you weren't the center of his, even if he didn't say it out loud," Leah said.

"That's not true," I protested.

"No? So he didn't keep you from your other friends? He didn't make you hang out with him and his family alone? He didn't force you into doing things you didn't want to, like a birthday party at his house?" Leah asked.

"My father told you all that," I asked surprised and kind of upset. I didn't want Charlie telling everyone about my personal business.

"Actually, he told my father. You get my point though. Your boyfriend was a controlling little asshole. He cut you off from virtually everyone in your life until he was the only one you counted on. If he'd stayed, it would've only gotten worse. The relationship might have even turned abusive," Leah said.

"No," I said as I shook my head. Leah was wrong. Edward didn't control me and he never would've hurt me. Everything he ever did was for my benefit. And he never forced me to give anyone up. I chose that. Although, now that I thought about it, I wasn't sure why. Why had I given up my friends?

"Yeah, I know you can't see it right now, but you will, and you'll see that you're better off without him. Now get up. I'm not gonna let you waste away in this room. You're gonna get up, get dressed, and come with me," Leah said in a tone that left no room for argument.

"Where?" I asked.

"My place. My folks are away for little getaway this weekend, so Seth and I have the place to ourselves. You'll hang out with us tonight. We're ordering Pizza and watching movies all night. Your dad's fine with it. In fact, he's just worried I won't be able to get you to come. But I will," Leah said confidently.

"I have no say in this, do I?" I asked.

"Not at all. Let's go," Leah said.

I sighed and started to get up. I didn't really want to, but I got the feeling I wouldn't win the argument if I started one.


	4. Chapter 4

**Bella's POV**

A couple of weeks later, I was in the kitchen making breakfast for myself and Charlie. Over the last couple of weeks, I had forced myself to pull myself back together, like I had months after Edward left. Only it was a bit different this time. I was making a much better effort to try to move on instead of just going through the motions for other people. I really did want to get over Edward and Jacob and stop hurting.

Leah and Seth had helped a lot with that. They were around all the time. Leah and/or Seth showed up almost every day to hang out with me. Leah had been a rock for me. She had become for me what Jacob had been not too long ago. Although, with Leah it was different. Jake had always tried to help me by distracting me from the pain with something else. Leah made me confront the pain. We talked about Edward and Jacob, and about Sam quite often. It actually wasn't so bad. Leah understood a lot of my pain so it was pretty easy to talk to her and it helped a lot more than I thought it would. That wasn't to say I wasn't still in pain though because I was. I missed Edward and Jacob so much and a part of me still felt that I did something to drive them away.

Seth had been great as well. He filled a different kind of role in my life. We would hang out and talk about everything besides my painful past. We talked about what we planned to do with our lives. Well, actually, we talked about what he wanted to do with his, as I didn't really know the answer. He encouraged me to figure it out though. We also talked about our families and how we grew up. I'd basically told him my life story one day. He was just the type of person that I could tell everything to. Well, almost everything. I obviously couldn't tell him everything about the Cullens.

I was soon pulled out of my thoughts when Charlie came into the room. "Morning, Bells."

"Morning. Breakfast will be done soon," I told him.

"Great. Uh, Harry's coming over in a few hours. We're watching the game," Charlie said.

I sighed. One turn of events that I didn't like was that Charlie had almost completely stopped talking to Billy because of my issues with Jacob. He didn't go to Billy's anymore to watch the game and they didn't go fishing together anymore. I didn't like it. I felt guilty that I had caused a rift between two lifelong friends. "Dad, stop this."

"Stop what?" Charlie asked feigning ignorance.

"You know what. You've almost always watched the game at Billy's. I don't want you letting what's going on between Jacob and me affect you and Billy," I told him as I shut the stove off and started piling bacon and eggs onto a couple of plates.

"Bella, Jacob left you alone on the beach in the middle of the rain. If it weren't for Seth, you would've been there for hours. I'm not going to hang around Billy and pretend that's alright and I'm not going go there, see the kid, and not say anything," Charlie said.

"Yeah, but you don't talk to Billy anymore," I argued. I walked over to the table and put a plate in front of Charlie before sitting down with my own plate.

"Thanks. That's not true. I have spoken with Billy. I talked to him about what Jacob did and he couldn't offer me any explanation for it, which would be fine, as it wasn't him that did it, but then he tried to excuse it by saying it's complicated. I don't care what the reason is, Jacob had no right doing that to you," Charlie said as began to eat.

I sighed and started eating myself. I didn't wanna argue anymore and it wouldn't do any good. Charlie was stubborn. When we were both done eating, I brought out dishes to the sink.

"Leave them in there, Bells. I'll do them. You cooked, so I can do the dishes," Charlie said.

Just then we both heard a knock at the door.

Charlie laughed. "I wonder who that could be. Is it Leah or Seth? I swear, I should just talk to Harry and sue about those two moving in."

I laughed. "It's Seth. We're gonna hang out today."

"Have a good time. See you later," Charlie said.

"Bye," I said before making my way towards the door. I grabbed my coat from the hook and opened the door to, unsurprisingly, find Seth. I immediately walked outside and shut the door. "Hi."

"Hey. Ready?"

"Yeah, let's go," I said before following him to his car. We both got in and he started driving. "So where are we off to?"

"I'm not sure. I figured we could just drive around for a while. I like to just drive sometimes. It's relaxing," Seth said.

"Okay," I said.

"So how have you been? I haven't seen you in a couple of days," he said.

"I saw, Leah just yesterday. I'm sure she told you that I was fine. Well, as fine as I'm capable of being lately. It's still kind of hard. I miss Edward and Jacob so much and when I think about them leaving me, I feel really low," I said sadly.

"You shouldn't. They're the problem, not you," Seth said firmly.

"Yeah, Leah says the same thing all the time, but sometimes it's hard to believe. I had two guys walk out of my life, you know? It almost seems like it has to be me," I told him. If it were just one of them, I would probably be more able to accept that it wasn't my fault, but two seemed to be more than a coincidence.

"No. You had the bad luck of attracting a couple of losers. There's nothing wrong with you, Bella. About the only thing you need to do different is to be more careful about who you choose to have in your life," Seth said.

"I'm trying to believe that. I want to believe that there's not something wrong with me. You and Leah make it easier. I know for a fact that Leah wouldn't bother if she thought I didn't deserve it," I said.

Seth laughed. "Yeah, Leah is very picky about who she deems worthy of her time."

"Leah's been great. You both have. I know it can't be easy. You go to school with Jake," I said.

"I guess so, but Black and I don't really run together. He hangs with Paul, Jared, and Embry. He doesn't even hang out with Quil anymore. Further evidence that this has nothing to do with you. Black's simply an asshole," Seth said.

I shook my head in disbelief. "Jake swore he would never let himself get caught up in Sam's cult. I really don't understand what happened."

"It doesn't really matter, Bella. Whatever happened, Black allowed it, which makes him nothing but a little bitch. Don't worry about him. Just forget about him. It's the best thing you can do for yourself."

"I'm trying. It's hard though. It's hard to just turn off friendship, though I guess it wasn't very hard for him," I said. The hurt was evident in my voice even though I tried to keep it out.

"You'll get through it. You've got me and Leah, plus your other friends. We'll show you real friendship," Seth said comfortingly.

"Thanks, Seth," I said before turning to look out my window. Nothing else was said for a while. We just enjoyed the drive.


	5. Chapter 5

**Bella's POV**

I was walking on the beach towards the water. I was meeting Leah and Seth to hang out. It was actually a nice day out, despite the fact it was March. It wasn't nice enough to go in the water, but it was nice enough that we wouldn't freeze if we sat by the water. I'd even packed a picnic lunch for the three of us.

I'd gotten about halfway down the beach when I heard a loud, angry voice. "Hey! What the hell are you doing here?"

I turned to my right to see Jacob and his new group of friends coming my way. I deduced that the question came from the boy next to Sam. I wasn't sure what his name was.

I stiffened as the group came closer and willed myself not to lose it or beg Jacob to be friends again. I had to do what Leah and Seth said. I had to act like Jake didn't matter. I couldn't let him think he beat me.

"I asked you a question, Leech lover," the boy said angrily as they got closer. "Can't you take a hint?"

I blinked in confusion. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"What? You think if you stalk him, Jake will take your ass back?" he asked.

"Paul," Jacob said in a seething tone. I could tell he was angry, though I didn't know why. What did Jake care how Paul spoke to me?

"I am not stalking Jake," I said.

"Yeah, right. You just came on our land for the hell of it, right? You're so pathetic," Paul said with a mocking tone.

"Shut the hell up, Paul," Jake said angrily before turning to me. "Bella, why are you here? I told you we couldn't be friends anymore."

I barely stopped myself from flinching from the reminder and from the indifferent tone he used. "I came because I like the beach. It has nothing to do with you."

"Bella, if that's true, perhaps you should find a better place to hang out. I don't think you should come back to La Push anymore," Sam spoke in a firm voice. I could tell that it wasn't a suggestion but an order.

"I guess it's a good thing nobody gives a rat's ass what you think," the cold, familiar voice of Leah said.

The guys all turned around to see Leah and Seth coming towards us all. I couldn't be happier to see them. I was trying to stay strong, but I felt cornered by the group and more than a little hurt by Jake's coldness.

"Last time I checked, you didn't own this reservation, Sam. What gives you the right to ban people?" Leah asked coldly as she and Seth made it over to me.

"Leah, this has nothing to do with you. Stay out of it," Sam said calmly, but with authority.

"Hey! Don't you talk to my sister that way, or Bella for that matter. You have no right to order any of us around. You may be boss to these little robots here, but you're nothing to us. To me, you're nothing but the piece of crap that screwed my sister over," Seth said angrily.

"Seth, you have every right to hate my guts, but the two of you are involving yourselves in something that has nothing to do with you," Sam said.

"Nothing to do with me? I'm the one who found Bella after your disciple left her alone on this beach in the rain," Seth said before fixing his glare on Jacob. "You really are a sick piece of crap, you know that, Asshole? You knew what she'd been through and you left her alone in the rain?"

Jake looked ashamed for about a second, but it went away so quick that I wondered if I imagined it.

"For the record, you jackasses can't kick Bella off of La Push. We're just as Quileute as you and we can have her here anytime we want," Seth said.

Jacob suddenly looked between me and the Clearwaters in surprise. "Wait, you came to see them?"

Leah laughed. "You didn't think she came for your ass, do you? Why would she give a damn about you? You're just a little lapdog who can't so much as breath without the okay of his master. You left her in the woods like trash when in reality, you're the trash. You're the one that's not good enough for her. You're scum, just like that asshole, Cullen."

I noticed Jacob begin to shake, causing Sam to put a hand on his arm. "Calm down, Jacob."

Jacob took a few breaths and finally stopped shaking. Then he turned to me. "You're friends with them."

"They've been there for me. Seth brought me home after you left me here," I said. Again, I had to suppress the pain of remembering what happened the day Seth came after me and took me home.

"I didn't think that you'd just sit here for hours. And what about Leah? She's not exactly the ideal friend for you," Jake said.

The hurt quickly turned to anger as I recognized the insult to my friend. "Why's that? She's helped me see you for what you are. I've leaned on her a lot. It turns out she knows what it's like to be tossed aside like garbage." I glowered at Sam when I said the last part.

"Shut up! Mind your own damn business, Swan," Paul growled.

"I could say the same to you. No one was talking to you," I shot back.

Paul hissed and took a step toward me, causing Seth to get between us and get right in his face. "You touch her, Lahote and I will kick your ass."

"Let's see you try, Clearwater," Paul replied menacingly.

"Enough! Paul, back off," Sam ordered as he began to pull him away.

"Yes, be a good little boy and do what Daddy says," Seth mocked.

Paul went to attack Seth, but Embry and another guy I didn't recognize pulled him back.

"Get him out of here," Sam ordered. He waited for them to disappear into the trees before addressing us again. "Seth, you shouldn't have done that. Paul could've hurt you."

"You and your little puppet can kiss my ass. If he doesn't like what he hears, he should learn to keep his mouth shut. As Bella said, no was talking to him in the first place. And we're all done talking to you. Get lost and let us enjoy the rest of our day. You're ruined it enough as it is," Seth said.

Jacob looked at me. "Bella, you shouldn't be hanging around with them. Leah isn't the type of person you should hang around."

Again, I became angry. I couldn't believe he had the audacity to talk to me about who I should and shouldn't hang out with. He didn't even have that right when we were friends, let alone now. "Who the hell are you to decide who I become friends with? You're not my father, Jacob. You were my friend, but you chose not to be. You left me, just like Edward did."

"Don't compare me to him!" Jake yelled.

"Why not? You left me, just like he did and you're trying to tell me what I can and cannot do, just like he did," I said angrily. It hit me after a minute that I was actually finally putting at least some of the blame on Edward. Before now, I'd said it wasn't his fault, that it was mine for not being good enough. Now I was actually expressing some anger towards him, and it felt right. It actually made me feel better to place blame on him and Jacob for what they did.

"What do you expect? Assholes think alike," Leah said.

"You ended our friendship, Jacob. You don't get to have an opinion one who I get to be friends with now, not that you ever did. You do not decide who I hang out with. Leah has been great to me. She's helped me to see that it is not my fault that both you and Edward are jerks," I said. Well, Leah was starting to help me see that anyway. I wasn't a hundred percent there yet, but I realized during this conversation that I was starting to get there.

"Okay, enough, Jacob. Let's just go," Sam said as he began to pull on his arm.

Jacob looked at me once more before relenting and leaving with Sam.

"Nice job, Bella," Leah said approvingly after Sam and Jacob left.

"That felt really good. I didn't let myself get angry at him or Edward before, but when he was standing there trying to choose my friends for me after deciding that I wasn't worthy of his friendship, all I could feel was anger," I said.

"You did great. You didn't let him make you a victim and you didn't succumb to him. You just proved to him that you don't need him," Leah said.

"I can't say that I don't still miss him though," I said. I was angry, but I was also still hurt and still longed for Jake's friendship.

"I know. That won't go away very easily. As long as you don't show it to him, you'll be okay. Come on, let's forget about Black and his asshole friends and do what we came to do. Let's pick a spot to sit down," Leah said. With that, we all started walking down the beach.


End file.
